The present invention relates to a method and a device for producing citrus juices with low final percentages of pulp by using a centrifuge wherein the space in the drum that receives the heavier phase, the phase with a high concentration of pulp, is discontinuously emptied of at least some of the pulp through slide-activated extraction openings in the jacket of the drum and the light phase, the clarified juice, is continuously extracted.
After being pressed and preliminarily strained, citrus juice contains from 12 to 15% pulp by volume. The market, however, demands juices that contain from 2 to 8%, and juices intended for infants generally contain less than 2% by volume.
The known method of reducing the level of pulp in citrus juices by means of a centrifuge does not allow the final percentage of pulp to be precisely established. To achieve a very low percentage of pulp as demanded in juices intended for infants and to ensure thorough clarification in the centrifuge, heating the juice before clarification in the centrifuge has already been suggested. This method however increases both energy and equipment costs.